TI-01
Time Logged on Not-Started Issue
Time Tracking Integrity
Default severity: medium
EstimationProcessMetricsEffort
What it detects
An issue in an initial/backlog status (To Do, Funnel, Backlog, Open) has time logged against it — work was done before the issue was formally started. This prevents the issue from appearing in WIP, hides actual start date for cycle time computation, and indicates a workflow bypass: the team started the work without transitioning the issue to In Progress.
Detection formula
IF issue.status IN config.workflow.initial_statuses AND SUM(worklog.time_spent, issue) > 0 THEN FLAG time_logged_on_not_started IF SUM(worklog.time_spent) > config.ti.ghost_work_threshold // default: 2h THEN CRITICAL — significant untracked work hidden in backlog status Report: issue, status, total_logged, first_worklog_date, last_status_change_date Note: early logging shifts the true cycle time start — real CT = today - first_worklog_date, not first_active_transitionExamples in practice
- A team shows an issue in an initial/backlog status (to do, funnel, backlog, open) has time logged against it while initial statuses is set to Configured per workspace.
- Example signal: An issue in an initial/backlog status (To Do, Funnel, Backlog, Open) has time logged against it — work was done before the issue was formally started.
Suggested response
Fix time-tracking states so remaining, spent, and status align with reality.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
An issue in an initial/backlog status (To Do, Funnel, Backlog, Open) has time logged against it — work was done before the issue was formally started. This prevents the issue from appearing in WIP, hides actual start date for cycle time computation, and indicates a workflow bypass: the team started the work without transitioning the issue to In Progress.
Why it matters
When "Time Logged on Not-Started Issue" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.
What you can achieve
Fix time-tracking states so remaining, spent, and status align with reality.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Time Logged on Not-Started Issue" from firing again?
- What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
- Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?
Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.